Window illuminator and sign



P. S. VAN BLOEM WINDOW ILLUMINATOR AND SIGN @www Am@ 7, T1923., 39464-22@ P. S. VAN ELGEM WINDOW ILLUMINATOR AND SIGN 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 7, 1921 iur- A W ci i@ @s N lio i' lli Patented Aug. 7, 1923.

Pani. sonuYLnn van Enom, or

l ninirsrnan, PRODUCTS oonPona'rIoN, or NEW roam-N.

NEW YORK, ASBIGNOB TO THE VIKING- Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

WINDOW ILLUMINATOB AND SIGN.`

Application med December '7 9 1921. Bei-inl Re. 520,610.

To. all whom z't 'may oomem:

Be it known that l, PAUL Sonoma VAN Boor-ni, a citizen ot the United States, and resident of Hempstead-in the county of Nassau and State ot'New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Window Illuminators and Signs, of which the Viiollowing is a specication.

lhe main object of this invention is to provide a device which will serve both as a window sign and window illuminator. The' device consists preferably of a long box or casing adapted to be placed in a show window so that its front wall will face the'window glass and its rear wall will be pl toward the articles on display in the window. 'llhe ont wall ot the device is designed to carry the sign portion and the rear wall of the device 1s formed of a light transtusing plate, preferably of glass, through which the light from the device will pass to the goods displayed in the window.

lin the drawings, Fig. 1 is a .front elevation of the illuminator and sign;

Fig. 2 a rear elevation partly in vertical section;

Fig. 3 a `view similar to Fig. 2 showing av series of colored glass screens mounted in the rear wall ot the device;

lWig. Il: a transverse vertical sectional view of .the device as arranged in a show window, a portion oi the show window being also shown in section; and

lFig. 5 a transverse vertical sectional view ot a slightly modified forni of the device.

Referring to the various parts by numerals, 1 designates the bot-tom wall of the device and 2 the top wall thereof. These two walls are connected by vertical end walls 3; and all oit' these walls are preferably oi sheet metal lor other light and'strong opaque material. The front wall of the device is formed by an opaque stencil plate fl, said plate being preferably ot' thin' sheet metal. This stencil plate is connected to the top and bottom walls and to the end walls in any suitable manner. As shown in Fig. d, the upper and lower edges thereof are bent 1nwardly to form flanges which are securely attached to the upper and lower walls by means of suitable devices. The stencil plate is provided with openings whichcorrespond in shape with the shape of the letters and characters to be displayed.l In these openings are inserted glass letters 5, said letters .grinding or cuttii. f

extending throuh the openings and projecting beyond t e outer face of the stencil plate. Each letter is formed with an enlarged base portion 6 which is t fit against the inner face of the, stenci i plate, said base portion be't; of glass or other transparent materiahd to the inner side of the stencil plate below the openings therein is a supporting Bange 7, said Hangs serving as anV alignin bar to align all of the displayed letters inthe sign, said har exten longitudinali of the stencil plate and ing permanen y secured thereto. This aligning bar and support is formed with v the4 upwardly extending retaining flange Bach of the letters is supported a light-didusing plate 9, said plate resting at its lower edge on the aligning bar and being held the by the reing ange 8. Removably secured to the stencil plate above the openings therein is a longitudinally extending retainin clip 10, said clip se to hold the lig t-didusing plate and letters in position on the stencil plate. rl`his retaining clip is preferably removably attached to the stencil plate by means of nuts and Abolts l1. By removing said retaining clip the didusing plate and the letters may be readily removed and replaced. To the outer surface ot the stencil plate, around the marginal edges thereof, yis secured a rim or d 12 in order to provide a pleasi linish to the face ci the sign. 'llhe didusing plate 9 may be of ground glass, or it may be a sheet of glass oit any desired color if it be desired to give color to the letters displayed in the sign. Any forni of plate may be used which'gwill prevent the direct rays from the lights within the casing passing outwardly through the clear glass letters. lf desired, the light di'using means may be formed directly on the backs of the glass letters by produce the desir ed'ect.

Along the rear edge of the bottom wall of the casing are'fonnied two upwardly extending danges 13 which are placed apart to form a' longitudinally extending cel along the rear edge of said bottom wall. The rear edge of the top wall of the casing is bent inwardly to forni a shoulder 1t and then downwardly to form the retaining flange 15. The flange 15 extends longitudinally of the casing. The rear wall of the casing is formed o a sheet of glass 16 Whose fl the them in. any manner to lld lowerl edge rests in the channel between the flanges 13 and vwhose upper edge rests on the flange 15. The flanges 13 and 15 are so located that the glass sheet 16 inclines upwardly and forwardly, that is to say, upwardly and toward the front wall of the casing. The front wall of the casing, formed by the stencil sheet, extends upwardly and rearwardly, that is to say, upwardly and toward the rear wall of the casing. The forward part of the bottom wall inclines up- Wardlyy and forwardly in order to raise the lower edge of the front wall a considerable distance above the bottom of the casing. The purpose of this is to so elevate the lower edge of the front wall that the entire front wall of the casing will be nicely visible through the show window glass and will not be obstructed by the usual retaining beads and strips that are commonly used in securin the show window glass in position.

e rear wall of the casingV may be formed of a sheet of ordinary ground glass, or any desired color screen may be used as a lightdiusing means. It is obvious that it' it be desired to throw any particular color on the objects displayed in the show window, it will only be necessary to place the desired -color screen in the rear wall of the casing. It is also obvious that the lightdiffusing plate 9 may be made in sections and each section may be of any desired color.

Within the casing and on the bottom thereof is a sheet metal channel or conduit 17, said conduit forming aA longitudinally extending housing to receive electric circuit -wires These wires are passed through a nipple 18 in one end of the casing and are then carried throughout the length of the casing within the conduit 17, protecting the wires and concealing them. On the housing or conduit 17 is mounted a suitable number of standards 19 which carry elec` tric lamp sockets 20 attheir upper ends. In these sockets suitable lamps 21 are secured. The device is preferably provided with supporting feet 23.

When it is desired to have access to the interior ofthe casing, the light diffusing plate 16.may be readily remove by first drawing outwardly the upper edge of the said plate to free it from the shoulder 14. The entire 0 sheet of glass may then be withdrawn from the channel formed by the flanges 13. When the rear wall 16 of the device is removed access may be had to the entire inte` rior of the device for the manipulation of the lamps and the removal and replacement of the si n letters and the plate 9.

In 'v ig. 3 the rear, wall of the casing is made up of a series of color screens 16, of an desired color.

In ig. 5 the front wall of the casing is vertical and the rear wall Kis extended up` wardly and rearwardly and angularly disposed with res ect to the front wall. In the form of t e device shown in Fig. 5, the stencil plate is secured to the inner surfaces of ilan es 22, said anges formin the upper and ower marginal edges o the front wall of the casing and serving to frame the stencil late and to give a finish to the marginal e ges of the said front wall.

From the foregoing it is manifest thatl I provide a self-contalned illuminated sign and show window illuminator. The o aque stencil plate and the opaque top an bottom walls of the casing prevent the passing of light rays from the casing except through the glass lettersin the front of the casing and through the iight diusing plate in the rear wall of the casing. rlhis gives a very brilliant illumination of the sign letters and also provides means by which the rays of light from the sign illuminating'` lamps may pass rearwardly into the show window for illuminating purposes. rIhe device may be -readily and bodily removed from the show window, and may be moved or shifted about into any desired position.

I-f it be desired to get the full illuminating etect of the lamps on the goods displayed in the show window, the light difusmg plate 16 may be removed leaving the rear side of the device open. It is 'preferred, however, to use the light diusing plate 16 in order to soften the light and soften the shadows on the window display.

What I claim is:

1. A window illuminator and sign comprising 'a closed elongated box or casing formed with opaque bottom and top walls, ends connecting the top and bottom walls, a front wall, a transparent sign carried by said front wall, a light diffusing plate forming the rear wall ofthe casing, the said late "loo l inclining upwardly and toward the ont wall of the casing area of illumination, means for removably mounting the light dilusing plate upon the to increase the vertical casing comprislng a support at the rear ed of the bottom wall adapted to loosely ho d the lower edge of the plate in place and a rest at the rear edge of the upper wall to support the plate at its upper edge, and a lamp within the casing. Y

2. A window illumlnator and sign comprising an elongated box formed with opaque bottom and top walls and with opaque ends connecting the bottom and top walls, a front wall, a transparentsign carried by said front wall,'a pair of upwardly extending iianges along the rear ed e of the bottom of the casing to form a c annel, a

downwardly extending flan e formed along the rear edge of the top w51` of the casing, a removable light di'using plate, thelower ed e of said plate fitting in said channel an the upper edge thereof bearing against said downwardly extending flange.

reeeee i 3. A window illuminator and sign comdlnsing plate froming the rear wall of said prsing a closed elongated box or casing casing, the lower edge of said plate ttng formed with opaque bottom and top walls in seid channel and the upper edge thereof and with opaque ends connecting the top bearing against said Henge, the front and '5 and bottom walls, a front wall, a transparent rear walls of the easing inclining upwardly 15 sign carried by said wall, a pair of anges and toward each other, and a lamp within along the rear edge of the bottom the casing. of the easing, a downwardly extendln testimony whereof l hereunto ax my ing flange formed along the rear edge of signature.

lo the top wall of the casing, a removable lgbt- PAUL SUHUYLER VAN BLOEM. 

